A sheriff has branded a woman who stole £39,000 from her 89-year-old mother “utterly wicked” – and jailed her for a year.
Pearl Dewar plundered June Gall’s life savings over a period of nearly seven years after taking control of the pensioner’s finances because she was in poor health.
And last night the 63-year-old – who used to visit inmates at Peterhead Prison and teach them money management – was herself behind bars.
Her own brother said he was satisfied justice had been done, but one charity said the 12-one jail term was not enough.
Dewar was found guilty by a jury after a trial at Elgin Sheriff Court which tore her family apart.
In the days following the verdict, Mrs Gall vowed never to speak to her daughter again and even banned her from her funeral.
Dewar was back in court yesterday for sentence, and her counsel, advocate Bill Adam, said she should be spared a prison sentence.
He produced documents showing the £39,000 had been repaid from Dewar and her husband’s savings and investments.
But Sheriff Olga Pasportnikov said she had no option but to jail her because of the sum of money involved in the “breach of trust”.
She said: “You took money from your own mother, money that was entrusted to you to protect.
“In an act of utter wickedness, over seven years you systematically depleted the life savings of an elderly woman.
“You have shown no remorse for your actions. If it had not been for your mother inquiring where the money had gone then this crime may not have been discovered.”
Dewar, of Seafield Street, Portknockie, appeared to blow a kiss to a family member in the public benches while mouthing “It’s ok”.
During her trial she attempted to shift the blame for the missing cash on to her own mother, who she accused of having “ridiculous” spending habits.
Bank statements were used to show nearly £110,000 was withdrawn from Mrs Gall’s account between January 2007 and November 2013.
Dewar repeatedly insisted she had given all the cash to her mother but was unable to explain what the housebound pensioner could have done with the missing £39,000.
Throughout the trial, Dewar referred to her mother as “Mrs Gall” and said the octogenarian had lied in her own evidence, which was given via videolink from her home at Aberdeen’s Bridge of Don.
Last night, Dewar’s brother John Gall said he was relieved “justice had been done” and his sister was behind bars.
It was only after the Insch businessman started looking after their mother’s accounts that the true extent of the theft became apparent.
He said: “She’s been shown up now for exactly what she is, which is a liar.
“It’s been three-and-a-half years of stupidity since we discovered this – entirely caused by my sister.
“If she had just said if she was having any problems we could have worked something out. She never did, and that’s why we had to get the police involved.
“She’s never got back in contact with either me or my mother.”